2016 Free Dining Watch ~ Part 2

[undertheseas]

Yes.

Thanks DisBuckMan!

 

[scard192]

November is my favorite month to visit Disney. We went one year in October I found it very warm. November is perfect to me and my girls still swam. We are from Maine though! Ha

glad to hear that! we went 3rd week of September, 92-93 every day. 3rd week of October, couple of 90 degree days. This year 11/12-19th. Looking forward to getting more done as it won't be so hot but though the kids might be bummed if they can't swim. our package includes a one day pass to a water park and they want to do that for sure.

 

[crazymomof4]

Homeschool mom of 4 here also! Except my oldest is only in Kindie.

Ahh. And DD15 is our "baby". 1 older DS is finishing up his last yr of HS and 2 older DSs have already graduated. I start homeschooling after they've gone to 6th grade in public school. I give moms who start right at k-garten a lot of credit!!

 

[cshell624]

We

POP is a GREAT choice.

We love POP but I really enjoy the boat to Disney Springs. Last year we stayed at CBR and took the bus to Disney Springs and it seemed to take forever.

 

[Wood Nymph]

GRRRRR!!!! So, we called back and changed our dates since you guys all suggested we should,

To be fair, all of us guys did not advise you to change your reservation. The majority of us said not to switch until after free dining was announced. But I can understand why you would be upset, though. There will be a lot of people who will be upset tomorrow when they end up like you. And they need to be prepared for disappointment. But I hope you get your Royal rooms back when you call back tomorrow. I hope everyone gets what they want. And don't give up if you don't get what you want tomorrow because they always add rooms back later, after people cancel the rooms they don't want.

One more question here. We are now thinking about a 8 night stay instead of 7. I see that you can not drop any days if you get the FD without canceling the package. What if after I book the 7 nights with free dinning I want to add a day would I get the free dinning for that day also without having to cancel and rebook? It would be added on at the beginning of the trip if we do. Thanks for any information you can give me.

It all depends on availability. My sister had booked the free dining bounceback last August but several months later she decided to fly to Orlando one day early. When she called to ask if she could add the one day to her free dining BB standard view room at POR the CM said that the only available room for those new dates was a Royal Room and it was going to cost her an additional $500. So she decided to keep her standard room and just add a room only reservation. She wasn't planning to go to the parks that day anyway, and she'll pay OOP for food.

But you might get a different situation and be able to add the extra day or days and still keep the free dining. It all depends on availability.

 

[ThisMommyLovesMickey]

The kids pool at CBR is better than the one at POR but your girls might enjoy the RR at POR. The boat to Disney Springs is a nice plus for staying at POR. If you will be using the buses, I think I would go with POR.

Thanks! Are buses at POR typically faster? How far are the royal rooms on the resort?

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

my brother and i are both going and thinking of booking 2 rooms.. can i book 2 or does he need to book 1 and I book my own? Our second option is a suite at AOA... which do you think is cheaper? I was thinking maybe we should book a Lion King suite because my nephew is obsessed!!

We have been debating the same: Two rooms at Pop or an All Star, or get an ASMu or AoA family suite? The square feet are similar, and two rooms cost less than either family suite (which really sucks, given the similar space). Here's what we have been thinking: All options get two bathrooms, but two rooms come with four beds instead of three, which can matter to some parties, either because they have more people or because some really want a bed to themselves. And they're all real beds, not sofa beds or murphy beds or fold-out chairs, so perhaps more comfortable. Two rooms also means two mini-fridges, which again can be important to people who will keep a lot of perishables or drinks they want cold.
The suites, OTOH, have a more apartment, less hotel, feel with areas dedicated for eating. And at AoA, the theming is magnificent. If you have a young person who loves one of movies from the themes, that might decide it right there. But again, you pay $100/night for the privilege. It's rather pricy for a Value, esp if you're doing FD and want to also pay for the upgrade from QS to DDP.

 

[DennisandAngel]

glad to hear that! we went 3rd week of September, 92-93 every day. 3rd week of October, couple of 90 degree days. This year 11/12-19th. Looking forward to getting more done as it won't be so hot but though the kids might be bummed if they can't swim. our package includes a one day pass to a water park and they want to do that for sure.

I think everything is better in November. Your dates are the same week I went in 2014. It was wonderful. If you plan right you won't even notice the crowds. In my opinion, I don't care for the crowd level in October. November and April are my favorite times. We are going Nov 27th to Dec 2nd this year. Have a great trip.

 

[CamiandCarson]

This is off topic but does anyone know if you buy a package from the other agency can you upgrade those tickets to annual passes?

 

[DisBuckMan]

This is off topic but does anyone know if you buy a package from the other agency can you upgrade those tickets to annual passes?

Yes

 

[Mickeycrocs]

Just wanted to report the website is really glitchy. While obsessively checking my dates on the website, CBR said full. I went to check out POR and it was fine and I then went back to CBR and said standard room was available!

 

[damskipi13]

I have 2 rooms at Pop Century for nov 12-19 booked with the military discount. Because there are 6 of us and we need 7 day tickets, I think free dining and a cabin will be cheaper. I know I will need to change my dates slightly, but we are flexible. My question is this, because we are booked with the military discount, will I have to call tomorrow? I know I have been told by a CM that I cannot modify online. Can I just book a new reservation and cancel the old one?

You didn't break down ages, so I am going to assume your 6 people is 4 adults and 2 Disney children. Here is what I came up with for a breakdown:

Assumptions: You have two people who can buy the military tickets (so each person can use 2 of them, for 8 days of PH each), the adult/child breakdown I listed above, you would spend $60/adult and $40/child each day for food OOP (1 TS, 1 QS, 1 snack), and you don't change dates (because I can't price out dates I don't know).

2 standard rooms at Pop (30% discount) +12 AFS PH tickets for 4 adults, 2 children + food: $5904.00
1 cabin + 7 day PH for 4 adults, 2 children with FD (reg DDP): $5489.08

It looks like the cabin is a clear winner if you were trying to replace the regular DDP. If you wanted to do QS only, the mil discounts would be about $500 cheaper (assuming $35/adult and $25/child each day for food).

Good luck! I think you'll end up with a great deal no matter what you decide to get.

PS: I am jealous you have a military discount at Pop for your dates! ASSports was the only Value available for my dates.

 

[Emmasmommy1011]

Question for everyone- First Timer here and i am already booked for Movies through my travel agent. I have already gave her the go ahead to change us to Pop for the free dining. Our Travel dates are Sept 10-19th. I am wondering if would be wise for me to just wait up tonight and book and entire new reservation? Then Cancel my old one (which i have already paid close to $2,000) and get a refund? ..Do they normally start calling in the morning or would i have better odds of doing it online? I am going back and forth here and would like a 2nd opinion lol! ALSO - if i DO book a new reservation and cancel the old one would Disney refund the money back to each giftcard i used (everything has been paid thus far with one) OR put it back all on one card? How long does that take?

 

[Meeko5]

I think everything is better in November. Your dates are the same week I went in 2014. It was wonderful. If you plan right you won't even notice the crowds. In my opinion, I don't care for the crowd level in October. November and April are my favorite times. We are going Nov 27th to Dec 2nd this year. Have a great trip.

I'm looking at 11/26-12/3! Hoping for great weather! October last year was HOT!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I know this has been asked a bzillion times, but can I make a new reservation on my phone? I know not on the MDE app.

I suggest you give it a dry run to see if it works on your phone. Call up the website and try to book a reservation. That way you won't be surprised tomorrow.

This is off topic but does anyone know if you buy a package from the other agency can you upgrade those tickets to annual passes?

It depends on whether the tickets are convention tickets or regular tickets. My daughters booked a trip through another agency and they bought convention tickets which cannot be upgraded at all. They can't add park days or upgrade then to an annual pass. It says they are convention tickets in their MDE accounts. If you bought regular park tickets then they can be upgraded. You just need to contact your TA to check. They can sell you regular tickets that can be upgraded if you have convention tickets.

 

[CamiandCarson]

Yes

How would that work if the tickets were discounted? How would I figure up cost to upgrade? TIA!

 

[Stephanie Isaacson]

Can you only do dining plan with no tickets if you are a passholder or can you get It if you are buying FL Resident tickets separately?

 

[Disneymom1126]

Okay - so we are just hoping for a RO discount, it will be just me and DD (8)...currently booked at POP, but we have stayed there in the past so we're thinking about trying either POFQ, POR (Royal rooms) or CBR...WWYD? Of all POFQ is what I'd really like to try, but having a hard time figuring out how the rumor is written and whether it will be available for the RO discount (in October).

 

[DisBuckMan]

Can you only do dining plan with no tickets if you are a passholder or can you get It if you are buying FL Resident tickets separately?

If you're talking about the free dining package, you have to purchase at least the minimum days of tickets for each person on the reservation at full price plus either ph or wp&m, regardless if you're an AP holder, Florida resident, DVC owner, etc. You can then use those tickets toward your next AP renewal.

 

[kimyinpink]

We have the same dates See you there! Oops forgot to hit add quote.